


Bacci

by heliocentricity



Category: Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Genre: Canon Compliant, Kissing, M/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-01-26 06:55:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21370006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heliocentricity/pseuds/heliocentricity
Summary: A compilation of the kisses between Pip and Herbert that Charles Dickens never told us about, because they weren't "essential" to Pip's story.  (Major spoiler warning!)
Relationships: Philip Pirrip/Herbert Pocket
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	Bacci

On our way to a Finches meeting, Herbert and I stop before the door to check our outfits one last time. Something about my cravat is off — though I couldn’t say what — and Herbert leans down to readjust it. His hair tickles my nose as he does so, and I very nearly sneeze on his head in response. We have a good laugh about it, and just before Herbert grabs our hats, he swipes aside my stray lock of hair with his thumb and plants a kiss on my forehead. 

Herbert finds out I never learned how to dance as a gentleman and pronounces himself my new personal tutor. Aware of my insecurities, he insists on dancing the woman’s part himself, despite the fact that he stands a full head taller than me. When he holds out his hand for me to take, he flutters his eyelashes dramatically until, unable to suppress a smile, I bring his knuckles to my lips and ask him if I might have this dance. 

Soon after my sister’s funeral, Herbert catches me staring listlessly out the parlor window, lost in mournful thought. He sits next to me and takes my hand comfortingly in both of his. He asks me what’s on my mind and allows my unorganized thoughts to pour forth without interruption. When I eventually come back to myself and realize how much time I’ve taken out of my friend’s day, I begin to apologize profusely. But Herbert shushes me with a kiss on the cheek and declares that he always loves hearing my voice. 

Herbert and I sit by the fire on a cold winter’s night. Our feet are touching, and he has one hand resting on my knee. The flames illuminate his face, and his eyes seem to glow as they reflect the waving embers. Herbert catches me staring, and although I don’t deny it, I feel so embarrassed, I excuse myself for the evening. On my way out, Herbert asks for a good-night kiss. While at first I think he’s only teasing, I realize with a flicker of joy that he’s serious. So, I lean down and press our lips together for a few glorious moments, then pull away and hide my blushing face with a cough. 

The night after I stumble into Orlick's trap, Herbert and I lay intertwined on my bed. His body is wrapped protectively around mine, and I curl back into his embrace gratefully, trying to forget the awful memories of all that has happened. The air is still, save for Herbert’s breath tickling my neck. Before either of us falls asleep, he leaves a trail of kisses beneath my ear and tells me how glad he is that he found me in time. I slip away surrounded by his reassuring warmth. 

After Magwitch's escape is halted by the police, Herbert manages to pull me away from my benefactor’s bedside for long enough to wrap me in a hug I hadn’t realized I needed until that moment. Herbert holds me as I cry and then long afterwards. I feel a blossom of love for my friend, and once I’ve recovered myself, I press a kiss to his collarbone — I’ve always been too short to reach for anything higher. 

By the time I join Herbert and Clara in the East, it’s been ages since we’ve seen one another. I hug Clara first and thank her for everything. She’s known about and accepted the nature of my relationship with Herbert from the beginning. In fact, she married him not for romantic purposes but in order to see the world, free of familial obligation. We beam at one another, and then she steps aside to let me see Herbert. When we embrace, it’s impossible to say who kisses whom first.


End file.
